Civil Services Simplified: Decoding the Enigma of UPSC by Dr. CP. Kaushik

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Part 2 Qs. of 2013-14..👍

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10. Colour Blindness: ##The Supreme Court has directed the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) not to exclude candidates suffering from colour blindness from its courses on film making. • Also known as colour deficiency, it is the inability to see colours in the normal way, particularly RED and GREEN colours. • Two types of cells in the retina detect light ➢ Rods: These help in distinguishing between light and dark. ➢ Cones: These help in detecting colour. • There are three types of cones that see colour — red, green, and blue — and our brains use the information from these cells to perceive colour. • It can be the result of the absence of one or more of these cone cells, or their failure to work properly. ## Congenital colour vision deficiencies are usually passed on genetically as is an "X" chromosome linked genetic disorder. • It cannot as yet be treated or reversed. • Men suffer from a higher incidence of colour blindness than women.

9. Kavach: Union Finance Minister announced in the budget, that as a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of rail network will be brought under the world-class technology ‘Kavach’ which is an anti-collision device (ACD) network. • It is a Made-in-India technology designed to help Indian Railways achieve goal of zero accidents. • Kavach implementation will bring train movement to a halt automatically when it notices another train on the same line within a prescribed distance. • The technology uses microprocessors, global positioning system and radio communication. The anti – collision devices are mounted on the trains. The devices receive inputs from the satellite. They communicate with each other through modems.

8. Negative Ions and Negative Ion Technology: • These are molecules that float in air or atmosphere and have an electric charge. • They are created when sunlight, radiation, air or water break down oxygen. • Negative ions are believed to create positive vibes and elevate the mood. They show various mental and physical health benefits, such as stress reduction, breathing, better sleep etc. • These ions also affect pollutants making them negatively charged and collecting them on the surfaces. • Negative ion technology embeds negative ions in personalized products and is currently being advertised as a means of maintaining health, balancing energy and improving wellness. • This technology is used in some silicone wristbands, quantum or scalar-energy pendants, jewellery, etc. • The minerals that generate these negative ions often include naturally occurring radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. Concerns: • The radiation detected in some of these products exceeds background levels. • The products were found to contain radioactive material and therefore continuously emit ionizing radiation, to which the wearer is exposed. • Prolonged wearing of products can pose health risks that include tissue and DNA damage. • Exposure can also cause severe harmful effects such as: Skin burns, Acute radiation sickness that causes cancer and hairfall, temporary reduction in WBC, Possible chromosomal damage, Reduction in resistance to infection.

7. Environmental DNA (e-DNA): ## e-DNA can be Nuclear or Mitochondrial DNA. • Animals shed DNA through their breath, saliva, fur or faeces into the environment. These samples are called e-DNA. E-DNA is collected from a variety of environmental samples such as soil, seawater, snow or air, rather than directly sampled from an individual organism. • This could help understand composition of animal communities and detect the spread of non-native species. This method will work with existing techniques for monitoring endangered species after some fine-tuning. • This process is comparatively easy. Typically, biologists observe animals in person or by picking up DNA from animals’ footprints or faeces.

6. Aquamation: ##The body of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu, was cremated by the process of aquamation in Cape Town. • It is a green alternative to traditional cremation methods. • It also known as alkaline hydrolysis and defined as “flameless cremation”. • In this process the body is immersed for a few hours in a mixture of water and a strong alkali in a pressurized metal cylinder and heated to around 150 degrees centigrade. • The combination of gentle water flow, temperature and alkalinity accentuate the breakdown of the organic materials. The process leaves behind bone fragments and a neutral liquid called effluent. • The effluent is sterile, and contains salts, sugars, amino acids and peptides. • There is no tissue and no DNA left after the process completes. • This process uses energy which is five times less than fire. It also reduces by about 35% the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted during other ways of cremation.

5. White Phosphorus Bombs: • Russia accused of attack on Ukraine using illegal phosphorus bombs. • International law prohibits the use of white phosphorus shells in heavily populated civilian areas but allows them in open spaces to be used as cover for troops. • White phosphorous is used in fumes, lights and incendiary warships, and is usually the burning element of tracer ammunition. • It is pyrophoric which mean it ignites on contact with air, burns fiercely and can ignite clothing, fuel, ammunition and other flammable materials. • Chemical weapons are weapons and other equipment that use the toxic effects of chemicals on living organisms to cause death or other harm. • To qualify as a chemical weapon, the toxic effects of warheads must not necessarily be fatal. • Chemical weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, as toxic chemicals can spread over large areas and affect large numbers of people. International Law regarding Use of Chemical Weapons: • Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a multilateral treaty banning chemical weapons and requiring their destruction within the stipulated time. • Negotiations for the CWC began in 1980 at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. • The convention was opened for signature in January 1993. • India signed the treaty in January 1993. The Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000 was passed to implement the CWC. • Apart from CWC, Australia Group seeks to check proliferation of chemical or biological weapons. India joined (as 43rd Participant) the Australia Group (AG) in January 2018

4. Thermobaric Weapon: • Thermobaric weapons are generally deployed as rockets or bomb. • The thermobaric bomb involves a two-stage munition. ➢ The first stage converts carbon-based fuel into minute metal particulates, which are discharged as an aerosol. ➢ The second part detonates the aerosol, converting it into a huge fireball and simultaneously creating an impactful shock wave. Inside this shock wave, a vacuum is created, which draws in (sucks) the nearby oxygen and exponentially enhances the severity of the explosion. • They work by releasing fuel and explosive charges. Different fuels can be used, including toxic powdered metals and organic matter containing oxidant. • The explosive charge disperses a large cloud of fuel which then ignites in contact with the oxygen in the surrounding air. • They can penetrate bunkers and other underground locations, starving the occupants of oxygen. • It is also known as an aerosol bomb, fuel-air explosive (FAE), or vacuum bomb. • Vacuum bombs are not prohibited by any international law or agreement, but their use against civilian populations in built-up areas, schools or hospitals, could attract action under the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.

3. Geomagnetic Storm: • Solar storms are magnetic plasma ejected at great speed from the solar surface. They occur during the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots (‘dark’ regions on the Sun that are cooler than surrounding photosphere) and can last for few minutes or hours. • A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. These storms result from variations in the solar wind that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas and fields in Earth’s magnetosphere.

2. Magnetar and Neutron Star: • A magnetar is a type of neutron star believed to have an extremely powerful magnetic field. • The magnetic-field decay, powers the emission of high-energy electromagnetic radiation (particularly Xrays and gamma rays). Neutron Stars • Once the core of the star has completely burned to iron, energy production stops and the core rapidly collapses, squeezing electrons and protons together to form neutrons and neutrinos. • It is the collapsed core of massive supergiant star with total mass of 10 to 25 solar masses. These stars are the smallest and densest known class of stellar objects.

Target Prelims 2022: 1. Seaweed Park: • The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying recently shared that for the first time in the country, a seaweed park will be set up in Tamil Nadu. • Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. In its simplest form, it consists of the management of naturally found batches. In its most advanced form, it consists of fully controlling the life cycle of the algae. • In contrast to other forms of aquaculture, seaweed farming has minimum capital and technological requirements. Currently, seaweed production in India is primarily confined to the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay in Tamil Nadu. • The seaweed industry in India is mainly a cottage industry and is based only on the natural stock of agar yielding red seaweeds and algin yielding brown seaweeds. • Currently most of the seaweed produced in India is used for plant growth factor, which reduces the requirement of fertilisers by nearly 13%.

For Anthropology Optional Students of 2023/24..

For Anthropology Optional Students of 2023/24